More than a dozen retailers will report November comparable-store sales in the pre-market session, which will likely affect sentiment toward consumer-discretionary stocks. Early results from the holiday shopping season have been strong so far.

Initial jobless claims are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists forecast a decline to 390,000 from 410,000 last week. A significantly lower reading could boost sentiment, while a higher figure could be bearish.

The Commerce Department will release its second estimate for third-quarter gross domestic product at the same time. Forecasts look for the figure to be revised up to 2.8 percent from the 2 percent announced earlier.

So far, my articles have taken you through a logical progression of option theory and fundamental concepts of options. As of yet, I have not mentioned a single strategy and for a good reason! The actual application of a strategy should come AFTER you learn about the option product itself.

optionMONSTER® provides stock market insight, advanced options education, and actionable trade ideas to meet the needs of do-it-yourself investors. After spending decades in the trading pits of Chicago, Jon 'DRJ' and Pete Najarian founded the company in 2005 to help people better manage their own investment portfolios.

OptionsHouse is separate from but affiliated with optionMONSTER®. Both are subsidiaries of Aperture Group, LLC.

All investments involve risk, and the past performance of a security, industry, sector, market, financial product, trading strategy, or individual's trading does not guarantee future results or returns. Investors are fully responsible for any investment decisions they make. Such decisions should be based solely on an evaluation of their financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs.

optionMONSTER's reference to specific securities should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell that security. Specific securities are mentioned for informational purposes only.